Canon to Use GPP 2022 to Showcase Innovations from its Commercial and Package Printing Range

Ayman Aly, the Senior Regional Marketing Manager at Canon Middle East, speaks about his company’s participation in GPP 2022

What is the theme of your participation at GPP this year?
One of our main themes at GPP 2022 is to focus on the industry trends that emerged during the pandemic, (including the shift to digital printing), as well as help customers understand how they can use our innovative products and solutions to their advantage, in a post-pandemic era. We will have trained experts on-site to meet with customers, especially the ones who are not familiar with digital solutions, to let them know the main differences between technologies and how to get the maximum benefits.

We will be using our participation to underscore the depth and diversity of our printing range, as well as offer counsel and expert advice for those seeking assistance with the latest technology that will further their post-pandemic recovery. While we will be showcasing our portfolio across different kinds of printing applications, spanning various industries including packaging, labeling, retail, and so much more, one of our main objectives is to help customers better understand the pros and cons of all our technologies and offer guidance and assistance in how they can benefit from integrating these innovative products and solutions.

Which products and solutions will you be highlighting at the event?
We will have five dedicated product “zones” at our stand at GPP so that we can easily show the different applications of our technology. For example, in our “Inkjet” zone, we will educate our high volume customers, especially those who have already shifted to or are considering shifting to digital, (especially inkjet), on what different inkjet technologies there are, how they can plan to adopt it and the benefits it can bring in the form of superior quality and cost savings.

Within these zones, we have our full portfolio on display, including all our toner-based cut sheets, including the imagePRESS color and varioPRINT black & white series. We will also be showcasing our wide format range, including the flatbed Arizona 135, the Colorado 1650, and our imagePROGRAF range – especially the imagePROGRAF TZ-30000, a high-end poster, and CAD printer, and the imagePROGRAF GP-4000. Our end-to-end workflow from pre-press to post-press technology will also be demonstrated.

It’s very clear now as we enter the post-pandemic era, that digital will be a solution for so many challenges within the printing industry and I think this trend will continue. One of our biggest launches at GPP will be the unveiling of the imagePRESS V1000. Completely new technology yielded a much higher output quality and increased productivity. This technology will cause a big shift in the market due to its level of quality, media handling, and applications that can be produced.

I am also excited about the upcoming imagePROGRAF GP-4000 launch at GPP, as it is particularly unique and supports graphics applications in fluorescent colors, enabling creative signage applications, especially across the retail industry. Also during GPP, we will be launching a new print portal. The print portal is a gate between print requesters/buyers and print service providers. It would be a Canon platform that can receive jobs from some companies who don’t own the technology and then can pass these jobs to print service providers that meet Canon’s quality standards.

How has 2021 been for your company and what were the learnings from that year?
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has adversely impacted businesses worldwide, by depressing sales in 2020, partial recovery in 2021, and a bounce back in 2022. At Canon for example, from June 2021, we witnessed a rebound with print volumes and service revenue starting to climb, as compared to the same periods in 2019. Moreover, since June 2021, our digital printing business, in particular, has seen a steady recovery, underscoring the point that there is a significant and remarkable shift from offset to digital, which is a growing trend.

This is further underscored by the findings of Smither’s report, The Future of Print Equipment Markets to 2026, where it highlights that the changes to consumer behavior brought about by the pandemic will be enduring and favor digital printing. By 2026, digital press sales will have overtaken sales of analog presses and will account for 56 percent of new press sales.

How is 2022 shaping up so far and how will you use the learnings and trends from 2021 to better your strategies for this year?
We already saw growth in digital printing which will continue further. There is a big shift from offset to digital in commercial printing and commercial printers now are more willing to discuss digital printing technology and applications than ever before. It was a great year for inkjet at a worldwide level, which is a great opportunity for Canon. We managed to hit record units and installations in 2021 across the Middle East region and are continually developing our portfolio within the digital print category to help meet our customers’ evolving needs, especially as we emerge into a post-pandemic era.

We want to help customers recover from the damage of the pandemic, attract new customers, and improve their profitability. Ultimately, we want to educate them on practical considerations that matter to them. Our line-up of new product launches during GPP is a testament to the importance of digital print production in 2022. Our brand-new cut-sheet digital color press, the imagePRESS V1000 leading the way, by setting a new standard in production print.

Do you see a general trend towards eco-friendly packaging and sustainability goals in the packing industry?
Sustainability has never been more important for businesses than in recent years. A desire for sustainable business practices and products has grown from a niche audience to a mass expectation. Businesses can no longer afford to underestimate this topic’s importance and for those doing it right, there’s huge potential to win brand loyalty. In fact, in a 2019 study conducted by Nielson, 73% of global consumers said they would change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment.

At Canon, we believe in the philosophy of Kyosei – ‘living and working together for the common good’. This philosophy is at the heart of everything we do and underscores our vision for sustainability. As part of these efforts, we are consciously contributing to a circular economy. For example, Canon strives to recycle products, and reduce water consumption, and the generation of waste from manufacturing at our operational sites. We consider each stage in the lifecycle of our products and look to minimize both, energy and raw material consumption and since 2008, Canon has taken 40,220 tons of plastics from used products for recycling as raw materials.

Moreover, Canon operates five recycling plants globally and in 2018, Canon also opened the Canon Eco-Technology Park in Tokyo, a cutting-edge recycling plant that serves as a focal point for Canon’s environmental activities. All paper and cardboard used for packaging are from sustainable or recycled sources and Canon Inkjet Cartridge packaging is made from 80% recycled cardboard and 70% recycled PET.

What do you expect to achieve through your participation at GPP?
GPP is an opportunity for our industry to come together and showcase the latest innovations from the world of commercial and package printing. We will be using our participation to underscore the depth and diversity of our printing range, as well as offer counsel and expert advice for those seeking assistance with the latest technology that will further their post-pandemic recovery.

While we will be showcasing our portfolio across different kinds of printing applications, spanning various industries including packaging, labeling, retail, and so much more, one of our main objectives is to help customers better understand the pros and cons of all our technologies and offer guidance and assistance in how they can benefit from integrating these innovative products and solutions.